Riding the Raisina Tiger

Riding the Raisina Tiger - a Politico-military thriller about an Army Chief who decided to take things into his own hands. AVAILABLE FOR FREE DOWNLOAD ON 26 JAN ON OCCASION OF REPUBLIC DAY FROM https://www.amazon.com/Riding-Raisina-Tiger-Story-military-ebook/dp/B01ALCCNSS

India is looking to
de-hyphenate itself from Pakistan as far as membership to the Nuclear Suppliers
Group (NSG) goes. As President Pranab Mukherjee landed in China on a four-day
visit, those familiar with the developments made it clear that India had never
objected to Pakistan's NSG membership.

“China, along with other
countries, have been maintaining that there should be a thorough discussion on
whether non-NPT countries can join the NSG, and this decision should be made on
consensus. This applies to all non-NPT countries, including Pakistan,” a
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman told mediapersons on Monday, ahead of Mukherjee's
visit.

China had recently objected to
India's membership of the NSG on the grounds that it has yet to sign the
Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). This was
seen as a sign of China's friendship towards Pakistan which has been
arguing that if India is allowed in the elite NSG club, so should Pakistan.

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook;
and Twitter @thetribunechd)

However, those in the know in
the government maintain that India has never endorsed or blocked Pakistan’s
membership to the club. The membership is by consensus and the US has backed
India's claim, given India’s clean record on non-proliferation. Pakistan, whose
nuclear proliferation record has always been a matter of concern, is pushing
for a berth in the NSG, if India gets it. India had recently cited the example
of France which became a member of the NSG without signing the NPT. The Chinese
have, however, countered this saying, "France was a founder of the NSG so
the issue of its acceptance to the NSG did not exist."

Officials in the government said
the Chinese argument (that India could not be admitted in the NSG club without
first signing the NPT) did not hold because there were no set of rules as such
for the NSG membership. Also, India is primarily concerned with its own
membership rather than that of another country.

India, Pakistan, Israel and
South Sudan are some of the UN members that have not signed the NPT yet. The
NSG membership issue is likely to be raised by Mukherjee during his talks with
the Chinese leadership, including President Xi Jinping, over the course of next
few days. While the India-China relationship is a not a smooth one, it is
nevertheless being hoped that the visit of the President will help remove the
strain between the two countries.

A Senate panel has
approved a legislation that blocks $300 million military aid to Pakistan unless
the Defence Secretary certifies to the Congress that Islamabad is taking
“demonstrable” steps against the Haqqani terror network.

The Senate Armed
Services Committee — which renewed blockage of $300 million coalition support
fund to Pakistan subject to action against the Haqqani network like previous
year when it passed the National Defence Authorisation Act (NDAA)-2017 last
week — has, however, argued in favour of continuing security assistance to
Pakistan.

“In recognition of the critical
importance of the bilateral US-Pakistan relationship and the need for enhanced
security and stability in Pakistan, the committee recommends a provision that
would provide the Secretary of Defence the authority to reimburse Pakistan up
to $800 million in fiscal year 2017 for certain activities that enhance the
security situation in the northwest regions of Pakistan and along the
Afghanistan-Pakistan border,” it said in a report.

“The provision would also make
$300 million of this amount contingent upon a certification from the Secretary
of Defence that Pakistan is taking demonstrable steps against the Haqqani
Network in Pakistan,” the report said.

The NDAA-2017 is scheduled to
come up before the Senate for voting, during which several Senators are
expected to bring in amendments to this Bill. Senate version of the NDAA
differed from that of the House on many issues, including Pakistan. While the
House version of the Bill, which was passed last week, calls for blocking $450
million of the $900 million US aid to Pakistan in coalition support fund, the
Senate version has reduced both figures to $300 million and $800 million,
respectively.

The Tejas LCA,
India's indigenously developed light combat aircraft, which continues to be
under development for the last three decades, is a compromised aircraft and has
only 35 per cent indigenous components. The induction schedule has been revised
several times from the initial 1995 deadline.

In Sanskrit, tejas,
the name given to India's indigenously developed light combat aircraft (LCA),
means brilliance. On May 17, Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha
announced that the Indian Air Force (IAF) would induct its first squadron of
Tejas in July, while giving the thumbs up after flying its trainer version.
Much as this news may seem to be “brilliant”, the fact is that this hugely
delayed aircraft is yet to get its final operational clearance which is currently
rescheduled for December this year. Worse, the Tejas Mark-I (Mk-I) is a heavily
compromised aircraft with significantly reduced operational capability.
Besides, the IAF's first Tejas squadron will comprise a mere four aircraft,
that is one-fourth the normal size of a fighter squadron, which will be only
high on symbolism and undoubtedly far from tejas (brilliant).

The LCA's long
journey began over three decades ago in 1983 when the government sanctioned the
project followed by the constituting of the Aeronautical Development Agency
(ADA) in June 1984. In October 1985, the IAF issued its list of requirements
needed in the aircraft with a demand for 240 LCAs, including 20 trainers to be
inducted by 1994. The LCA was supposed to replace the ageing Soviet-origin
MiG-21s, the mainstay of the IAF, which were then scheduled to be phased out in
the 1990s.

Incidentally, the
LCA was conceived just as the IAF was retiring India's first indigenously
developed fighter — the Hindustan Fighter (HF)-24, also known as Marut. The
government then did not consider it worthy to upgrade and develop further
variants of the HF-24 which had been conceived in 1955, designed by a reputed
German aeronautical engineer (Kurt Tank), first test flown in 1961 and which
later saw action in the 1971 Indo-Pak war. Instead, this aerodynamically
well-designed single-seat twin-engine but under-powered ground attack aircraft
was retired in 1985. The ADA thus started from scratch.

The LCA, as is the
case with all major defence research and development projects, is a
mind-boggling case study of delays, slippages, compromise and mismanagement
(despite some hard work) that continues till date. There are two other
disconcerting realities about the Tejas. First, the aircraft is far from indigenous,
with only 35 per cent made in India and 65 per cent components sourced from
overseas (mostly American and Israeli), making it an import-dependent aircraft.
In fact, every major component starting from the engine and flight-control
system to armaments is of foreign origin.

Second, the Tejas
Mk-I has significant shortfalls, with 53 waivers and concessions. These
shortfalls include lower engine thrust, higher weight, limited fuel capacity in
the absence of drop tanks, markedly deficient self-protection jammers which
limit its electronic warfare capability and the absence of Radar Warning
Receivers and Counter Measures Dispensing System to name a few. Neither are
there any certified trainer aircraft to train pilots. This has reduced the
aircraft's operational capability and survivability, thereby limiting its
operational utilisation. Although these shortcomings are expected to be
overcome in the Mk-II version currently scheduled to be completed by December
2018, it could, however, take longer to complete considering the track record.

Consider the
following: The LCA's first flight was originally scheduled for 1991, only to be
revised to 1996, 1999 and 2000, before being first test flown in January 2001.
Similarly, the induction schedule has been revised several times from the
initial 1995 to 2003, 2005, 2008, 2010, 2012 and now 2018 (for the Mk-II), by
when 35 years would have elapsed. In the meantime, owing to the inordinate
delay in the development of the LCA, the government has already spent Rs 20,000
crore for upgrading 125 Soviet-origin MiG-21 Bis and 62 MiG-29 fighters, 61
British-origin Jaguar strike aircraft and the French Mirage-2000 even as the
IAF's squadron strength has fallen from the sanctioned 42 to 33, with all
MiG-23, MiG-25 and several MiG-21 squadrons having been retired.

There are several
reasons behind the delay of the LCA. Apart from a period of post-May 1998
nuclear test sanctions, among the most notable has been India's inability to
develop several key components which has necessitated design changes and
purchases from overseas. This includes the failure to develop the Kaveri engine
(started in 1989 with unending deadline revision to 1996, 2003, 2005, 2009,
2012 and currently unknown along with a cost escalation from the original Rs
383 crore to Rs 2,839 crore as of December 2009). This has necessitated a
design modification each in the Mk-I variant for the American General Electric
F-404 engine and in Mk-II for the F-414 engine.

The ADA was unable
to develop the Multi-Mode Radar for tracking multiple targets (original
deadline December 1997, with a deal for co-development with Israel finally
signed in June 2009), the Flight Control System Actuators (currently American),
Radome (British) and the Multi-Functional Display System (Israeli), among
several other critical items. The IAF too ended up causing a delay of over
seven years because it wanted changes in the armament: the Israeli R 73E close
combat missile instead of the R-60; integration of the Israeli Derby and
Python-5 beyond visual range missile; addition of the Russian 500 kg M-62
bombs; and a Counter Measures Dispensing System. Some of these features and
armaments are yet to be incorporated in the Mk-I.

One hopes that the
Tejas will not meet the same fate as that of the import-dependent “indigenous”
Arjun tank which was conceived over four decades ago in 1974. Only 124 of the
Arjun Mk-I are in service, while the Army still awaits the Mk-II. Clearly, the
ADA with its 152 work centres engaged in developing the LCA needs to put in
more tejas (brilliance) in developing the Tejas.

The Army has gone
full throttle this year so far and eliminated 45 militants in Kashmir. It has
also reviewed its summer strategy along the 744-km-long Line of Control (LoC).

“A total of 45 militants have
been eliminated by security forces in Kashmir from January 1 this year,”
said Col SD Goswami, Northern Command’s
Udhampur-based defence spokesperson.

On May 16, a militant, Bilal
Bhat, had jumped off a cliff to escape soldiers and died, taking the total
number of slain militants to 46. Bhat along with his two associates was trying
to exfiltrate to PoK via the LoC in the Poonch sector.

Army sources, however, said that
despite gunning down 45 militants in Kashmir this year, militants were waiting
in launching pads on the Pakistani side of the LoC.

“The terrain is such that
possibilities of successful infiltration cannot be ruled out. At the same time,
there is immense pressure on ultras in launching pads because of continual
success achieved by security forces in Kashmir this year,” they added.

Sources said the rapidly
depleting cadre of militant outfits in Kashmir had become a cause for concern
for the Pakistani army and the ISI.

“While the Army will be
consolidating the gains made in the hinterland (within the state), we have a
robust counter-infiltration strategy on the LoC, which has an appropriate mix
of technology and human resource,” said the sources.

“Innovative troop deployment,
including ambushes, efficient use of surveillance and monitoring devices,
besides fencing along the LoC have enhanced our ability to detect and intercept
infiltration,” the sources added.

The Army anticipates that
militants in launching pads may try some non-traditional routes to sneak into
J&K this summer.

“Our endeavour has always been
to intercept and neutralise them (militants) before they reach the barbed
fence,” they added.

As per an official report, 18
“highly trained” militants crossed the LoC and sneaked into Kashmir via
frontier Kupwara district in April this year. Out of them, five were shot dead
in recent encounters with security forces.

Bodies of the six
Assam Rifles personnel who were killed in an ambush on May 21 in
Chandeldistrict of Manipur were today flown to their respective homes from
Imphal airport in a special Indian Air Force flight.

Prior to that around
9.30 am, a wreath laying ceremony was conducted at 12 Bihar Headquarters in the
state capital to pay tribute to the martyrs.

The solemn ceremony
was attended by Chief Minister O Ibobi, his deputy Gaikhangam and high ranking
officers of the Assam Rifles based in Manipur.

The Army on Tuesday
vowed to hit back hard on the militants who carried out an ambush which killed
six Assam Rifles personnel in Manipur’s Chandel district on Sunday. “In
counter-insurgency operation it is a matter of initiative and opportunity. They
have been able to get this opportunity but it is not long before we hit back
and we will hit back very hard,” Lt Gen Abhay Krishna, General Officer
Commanding of 3 Corps, told reporters here.

The Army and Assam
Rifles have been continuously running an intensive combing operation to trace
the militants in the deep jungles near Indo-Myanmar border, where the incident happened
on Sunday afternoon. Refusing to divulge details of the operations before the
media, Krishna said the search was on in the jungles.

“I can assure you no setback can
ever dilute the resilience of the Indian Army. We are trained to be resilient.
This type of casualties is a setback for everybody but it is also an
opportunity to bounce back and bounce back with a bigger success,” he said,
adding strong action cannot be taken at the press of a button.

On the security situation in
Manipur where 18 army personnel were killed in the same district last year in
an ambush by NSCN(K) militants, the officer said, “After one year they have
been able to get this opportunity but we will wrest

this opportunity and initiative
very soon”.

Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh
condemned the incident. We stand united in the fight against insurgents and ill
continue to strive for furtherance of peace in the region, he said, adding
those involved in such crimes will be severely punished.

Union Home Minister Rajnath
Singh had directed security forces to take “strongest possible action” against
the militants involved in the ambush.

Meanwhile, the mortal remains of
the martyrs were sent to their hometowns in two specially requisitioned Indian
Air

Force aircraft accompanied by a
team of Assam Rifles personnel. In a solemn wreath laying ceremony conducted in
true traditions of the Indian Armed Forces, homage was paid to the six martyrs
of 29 Assam Rifles.

Wreaths were laid by the Chief
Minister, his deputy Gaikhangam and high ranking officers of Army and Assam
Rifles based in Manipur. CorCom, a conglomerate of proscribed outfits, in a
statement issued to the media, had claimed that the ambush was carried out by
them.

The deceased include a Junior
Commissioned Officer (JCO) and five jawans of the Assam Rifles.